These savory puff pastry spinach appetizers are the perfect way to celebrate any occasion. The puff pastry is filled with a creamy spinach and feta cheese filling, and then baked until golden brown.
Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease a mini muffin pan (or use a silicone one) and set aside.
In a medium size mixing bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, crumbled feta cheese, crumbled bacon, and shredded parmesan cheese until well blended.
8 oz cream cheese, ½ cup parmesan cheese, ½ cup feta cheese, ½ cup bacon
Add in the chopped spinach and mix until it is evenly distributed. Set aside to prepare the puff pastry dough.
2 cups spinach
Unfold the package of puff pastry. If it is trifold, cut each panel down the center, then each section into fourths. You should get eight 1" squares from each panel, for a total of 24 small squares.
1 pkg puff pastry dough
Place a square of puff pastry into each muffin cavity, gently pressing it in and downward. Fill each cavity with a spoonful of the spinach and cheese mixture. Divide it between all 24 muffin cavities, about 1-2 teaspoons for each.
Bake at 400° F for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Use a cake frosting spatula or a butter knife to lift each bite out of the muffin cavities. Serve immediately.
Notes
Defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator over night. Then bring to room temperature before unfolding the trifold, or unrolling the roll.
Don't over fill the muffin cavities, the puff pastry will expand quite a bit. Each mini muffin cavity will only need 1 -2 teaspoons of filling, max.
You can freeze after filling and then store in a plastic tub. Bake a few or a lot. Just pop them back into a muffin tin when ready to bake.
Variations:Once you know how to make these puff pastry tarts, you can make sweet or savory variations! Here are a few of my favorites.
Apple Puff Pastry Tarts - Mix cream cheese with some vanilla and cinnamon. Then, add a spoon of Apple Pie filling to each tart, and bake.
Puff Pastry Pizza Bites - Mix the cream cheese with some mozzarella cheese and top with chopped pepperoni and a small spoonful of pasta or pizza sauce. Bake.
Brie Bites in Puff Pastry Bites - Cut a brie up into small cubes. Pop a cube or two into each puff pastry lined muffin cavity. Spoon in your favorite jam, such as Jalapeno Marion Berry, Fig Preserves, or even a spicy Onion Chutney. Bake and serve!
Sausage Puff Pastry Bites - Mix the cream cheese with shredded cheese. Top with cooked crumbled sausage and bake with some cheese sprinkled on top.